Obituary of Kathleen Manning Quinn

Kathleen—Katy—Quinn had quite a life! She traveled the world with super star athletes, built and rebuilt a half dozen houses from New York to Cape Cod, from Arizona to Connecticut. Born on February 21, 1947 to Warren and Pat Manning, she grew up in Elmsford NY where she attended Our Lady of Mt Carmel grammar school and later Maria Regina High School. Katy met her husband of 57 years, J.B. aka Jim, on a blind date on July 4, 1964, at the Fore and Aft in White Plains, New York. Katy needed phony proof to get in. J.B. was clearly smitten, after all she was beyond beautiful. They eloped two years later while J.B. was still in college at the University of Notre Dame.

That began their journey together. A year or so later came the first child, Kellianne, and Katy raised her and then her son Chris in a tiny basement apartment in North Tarrytown (now Sleepy Hollow), NY. From there she led the way to Hastings, White Plains, Briarcliff and lastly Armonk, NY where the family finally settled for the next 45 years. Along the way two more daughters came along, Tierney and Kerrin. Katy had boundless energy virtually single-handedly raising four kids, one with juvenile diabetes, her son Chris. Her husband was often trying cases around the country, sometimes for months at a time. She would often bring the kids to watch the trials.  And Katy was sure to make time for travel with J.B. as a couple or with a group of NBA players. The highlights included the “NBA China Tour” back in the ‘80’s as guests of the Communist Chinese Sports Authority as well as trips to West Africa, Italy, Greece, and Yugoslavia to name a few. Katy was also an extraordinarily talented architect and a masterful decorator that occasionally acted as her own general contractor in building and rebuilding several of her houses.

Her latest achievement is the award-winning house she built in New Canaan, CT which she worked on while battling cancer and other physical challenges. Throughout, she maintained her lively and often very sharp wit. The house is a showplace pure and simple. Six months ago, shortly after the house was completed, her beloved and only son Chris passed away due to complications from juvenile diabetes. Throughout her life, Katy was a fireball, adept at multitasking with the raising of kids, building homes, traveling, reading, and loving her family and friends of which there were many. She seemed to walk through life effortlessly. Anyone who knew her knew she loved Christmas, decorating and redecorating the Armonk house inside and out, filling it with a half dozen Christmas trees and an entire room devoted to Christmas year-round. People came from far and wide to see how the house was decorated each Christmas because it was never the same year after year. The only rules were no moving parts and no music!  What Katy loved most of all were her four children and five grandchildren. Her many German Shepherds (Tyson, Eli, Heidi and Max) always came in a close second.

Katy is survived by her husband J.B., her three daughters, Kellianne Erath, Tierney Chadwick and Kerrin Siegler, her five grandchildren, Dr. Alexandra Erath Makhoul, Juliette Carrerio, Cameron, Kylee and Cian Quinn as well as her two sisters Maureen DeZemler and Patricia Chambers.  A memorial will be held at The Roger Sherman Inn, Friday, July 21st from 1-3pm (195 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT).  

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (www.jdrf.org) or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Organization (www.komen.org).